Bligh missed key meeting on dam releases

Queensland Premier
Anna Bligh
skipped a key meeting on the strategy at Wivenhoe Dam during the 2011 floods, but when told of the outcome sought a second opinion on plans by engineers to release record levels of dam water.

She chose to miss the meeting 24 hours before water release levels were significantly ramped up. The release contributed to the worst flood in Brisbane for almost 40 years.

Ms Bligh’s diary, released publicly yesterday after being requested by the Commission of Inquiry, showed the Premier sent her director-general,
Ken Smith
, to the 12.30pm meeting instead.

Her diary entry for January 10 notes that she had a scheduled flood recovery cabinet meeting at 9am, a post-cabinet briefing at 11am and lunch at her desk from noon to 1.30pm.

Ms Bligh’s office said yesterday that she had decided to send her director-general because “the meeting was of a technical nature".

The Premier was later briefed on information collected in the meeting, which was used in a press conference later that day.

However, Ms Bligh went on to seek a “second opinion" on the appropriateness of proposed water releases out of Wivenhoe Dam, instructing her director-general to engage an independent expert from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The insight into Ms Bligh’s priorities at the time comes as the Commission of Inquiry seeks further clarity on events from her colleague, Water Utilities Minister
Stephen Robertson
.

Related Quotes

Company Profile

“The inquiry has requested I be available to appear any time from Wednesday through to Friday this week," Mr Robertson said yesterday. “I will continue to provide the commission with my full co-operation."

Mr Robertson appeared at the first flood inquiry where he recalled parking a plan to lower the dam’s full supply level.

The January 10 meeting Ms Bligh was to attend was a teleconference updating the current strategy of the dam. In preparation for that meeting a report was sent by a director of operations at the water grid, Dan Spiller, who gave evidence late yesterday at the inquiry.

That report sent by Mr Spiller included the naming of strategy being used at Wivenhoe at the time. That strategy was W2 – one where water releases from the dam are lower than that of W3.

However, the advice that it was strategy W2 was incorrect.

Mr Spiller had taken the information from dam operations manager Rob Drury, who was grilled again at the inquiry yesterday over the incorrect strategy advice.

“W strategies were not at the time a priority or necessity," Mr Drury replied. “It was not affecting the [water] releases or what people were doing."

Mr Drury was earlier asked if providing the W2 strategy was true or false information.

“All I can say is that I gave [Mr Spiller] what I thought was on my mind. If I was wrong, I was wrong," Mr Drury said.

Mr Murdoch: “Mr Drury, is it the case that your W2 answer to Spiller was based upon information you received from someone in the flood operations centre and that you are now covering for that someone?"

Drury: “I can only say what I did and I think at the time I just sent back what I thought."

Numerous mistakes such as this have been raised at the inquiry over the last six days, placing engineers and managers under intense scrutiny.

Seqwater engineers John Tibaldi and Terrence Malone, who were among the first to have provided evidence, have taken leave as a safety precaution in case they were not in a sufficient frame of mind to operate a dam during another flood.

Rumours were swirling that death threats had been raised against those men. However, a spokesman for Seqwater said yesterday that the company could “categorically confirm there have been no threats made to the organisation or the individuals".

“However, Seqwater can confirm that as a precaution 24-hour security is being provided to the homes of our engineers for the duration of the commission."

The inquiry, which has been extended for four days, continues this week.